Discover Book Club Activities to Help You Give Back
Spending time with friends during the holidays is one of the greatest feelings in the world! And a Friendsgiving or a Stragglers Seasonal Meal potluck is always a fun way for a book club to observe the season, but what if this is the year for you all to do MORE? Here are a few suggestions for giving back and taking stock as the year draws to a close.
Step Out (or Stay In!) and Volunteer Together
- Use the holidays as an opportunity to pick a worthy charity or organization and then decide how to support them throughout the year.
- Plan, cook and serve a meal at your local Ronald McDonald House®. (Pro tip: these coveted slots tend to fill up as quickly as they become available, particularly during the holidays. Don’t feel frustrated if you don’t score a November/December slot, there are 10.5 more months in the year!)
- Visit your local senior center for board games or a story hour. These facilities are often looking for new or fun ways to entertain residents. What can your group offer?
Not sure where to start? Reach out to your local Rotarians, Lions or Kiwanians. These groups can often point you in the right direction, and many have preorganized volunteer slots ready for groups during the holidays. Over the past few years, my book club has helped wrap toys for seasonal drives, packed shoeboxes full of small items and toiletries for kids overseas and helped little ones write out their holiday wishes for the YMCA’s Angel Tree.
Host a Donation Drive
Are you a member of a group that is too large to volunteer in person? Organize drives for the following in-demand categories for your local shelter or neighborhood center. Sort and pack the items together at your next book club meeting!
- Pantry staples or nonperishable food items. Don’t forget to consider practical items like wet wipes or hand sanitizer, can openers and plastic utensils.
- Toiletries! And please consider grabbing an extra box of pads, tampons or other menstrual hygiene supplies to include with your donation. These items are often overlooked and can be difficult for women in need to obtain.
- New socks, underwear, and thermal underwear
- Warm coats, scarves, gloves and other winter gear, including blankets
Meet Mindfully
Use the first or last 10 minutes of your book club meeting to write an encouraging card or note to someone in your life who might need a pick-me-up. No candidates coming to mind? Write holiday cards to be delivered to soldiers spending the season overseas or seniors at a local center instead!
Share Books About Joy or Magical Realism
There are tons of great books about the joy and awe that the holidays bring, but there are also plenty of uplifting books to share that aren’t tied to any specific holiday or religion. Buy several copies of one of these lovely titles and donate to a local shelter or your local Little Free Library™!
Inspirational Picture Books for Kids
1. We Are Water Protectors: (Caldecott Medal Winner) by Carole Lindstrom - Michaela Goade
2. The Littlest Drop by Sascha Alper - Jerry Pinkney - Brian Pinkney
3. The Girl Who Planted Trees by Caryl Hart - Anastasia Suvorova
4. How Full Is Your Bucket? for Kids by Tom Rath - Mary Reckmeyer - Maurie J Manning
Recommended Books for Adults
1. Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer
2. The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by Robin Wall Kimmerer - John Burgoyne
3. Lab Girl: A Memoir by Hope Jahren
4. The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz - Janet Mills
5. Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson
Build a Little Free Library in Your Neighborhood
The perfect way to share books and a love of reading with your community! Don’t have a yard or any exterior space at home? Learn how to establish an LFL at your local dog park, playground or senior center at the official LFL website.
- Host book drives or encourage members to donate to commemorate birthdays or other milestones.
- Ask club members and neighbors to clean out their bookshelves and donate any gently used books to your cause.
- Create special stickers commemorating donations, and sticker the books during your meeting!
Cash, Moola, Bacon, Bread, Benjamins, Clams
MONEY. That’s what most charitable organizations really need.
- Consider asking members for a small monthly donation, which can be given to a literacy-based charity like Imagination Library (RIP Dolly!) or ProLiteracy, an organization that prioritizes adult literacy.
- Invite members to propose a favorite charity and support that choice for the next calendar year. Or switch it up monthly to maximize your club’s support and reach!
We know the real meaning of the holidays: it’s all about making memories. Why not use your powers for good to help others make memories, too?! Delicious meals always come to an end. Books always have a last page. At some point, that holiday magic will fade back to #RealLife. Won’t it be nice to have some warm memories to look back on fondly during the endless gray days of February?
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